July 3 (UPI) — A police chief in a small Iowa town has been slapped with a 60-month federal prison sentence for illegally possessing a machine gun and making false statements to authorities, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

Bradley Eugene Wendt, former chief of police in Adair, Iowa, and owner of a firearms supply business in nearby Denison, Iowa, was found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and eight counts of making a false statement to the ATF, federal prosecutors in Des Moines said in a statement.

Authorities accused Wendt of buying machine guns for the Adair Police Department but later reselling the weapons via his gun dealership at a personal profit of nearly $80,000 by falsely using “demonstration law letters.”

Among the weapons he illegally obtained was a .50 caliber machine gun called a “Ma Deuce,” which prosecutors say he “immediately mounted to his personally owned armored Humvee.”

Wendt also personally possessed a belt-fed, M60 machine gun registered to the Adair Police Department, which authorities said he allowed members of public to shoot for a fee during an event held in April 2022.

During his trial, Wendt insisted he had talked with ATF officials and was under the impression all of his transactions were legal, but prosecutors countered there was no plausible reason for a town of fewer than 1,000 people to acquire such heavy weaponry, the Des Moines Register reported.

They also pointed to texts and emails sent by Wendt to friends bragging about how he was using his post as police chief to obtain and sell firearms.

“We expect law enforcement officers to uphold their oath to protect and serve our communities. Instead, Brad Wendt broke the law and betrayed the community by unlawfully obtaining and selling firearms for his own personal profit,” said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “The FBI remains steadfast in aggressively investigating and bringing to justice those who misuse their authority for personal gain.”

The former police chief was fined $50,000 and will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his 60-month prison sentence.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray TV Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – The Iowa Department of Transportation confirmed to Gray TV Iowa that 25 cities and one county have applied to operate traffic cameras. Lawmakers passed legislation this past session that requires communities to apply for a permit through IDOT if they want traffic cameras.

IDOT reported that these communities applied for a traffic camera permit by the July 1st deadline:

• Buffalo
• Cedar Rapids
• Charles City
• Chester
• Davenport
• Des Moines
• Fayette
• Fort Dodge
• Fredericksburg
• Hazleton
• Hudson
• Independence
• La Porte City
• Le Claire
• Lee County
• Marion
• Marshalltown
• Muscatine
• Oelwein
• Postville
• Prairie City
• Sioux City
• Strawberry Point
• Tama
• Waterloo
• Webster City
• West Union

Some lawmakers have tried for the past several years to ban traffic cameras. Instead, legislators agreed to require changes that took away some of the local authority.

Communities have to demonstrate the need for the cameras, provide annual reports detailing collisions and citations at the intersections, and they can only give a ticket if a driver is going at least 11 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

There are several changes for drivers. Previously, the owner of the vehicle that received the traffic citation received the ticket. Owners can now notify the jurisdiction if someone else was driving.

Drivers will also notice standardized fines in all communities, another state mandate by the legislature.

Fines for speeding offense:

• 11-20 miles per hour above the speed limit: $75
• 21-25 miles per hour above the speed limit: $100
• 26-30 miles per hour above the speed limit: $250
• More than 30 miles per hour above the speed limit: $500

About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for 10 stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.

Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.

He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.

Dave welcomes your thoughts on what answers to seek from politicians and what issues challenge our communities.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.

ATLANTIC, Iowa (WOWT) – Iowa Department of Transportation announced Wednesday a partial re-opening of Interstate 29 and I-680.

Following the closures of I-29 and I-680 amidst the flooding of the Missouri River, the Iowa DOT is announcing re-openings of the two roadways, though there will still be intermittent lane closures and head-to-head traffic. All lanes will be open on I-29 south of I-680.

Iowa DOT also reminds drivers that the westbound I-29 on-ramp from Crescent remains closed.

Currently, flood waters do remain in the area, and they ward drivers to never drive over roads that are still covered in water. Drivers are also reminded not to go around barricades or fencing, as they are there to keep drivers away from flood waters.

If you have any questions, Iowa road closures are updated regularly on their 511 website, and to download the Iowa 511 app on whatever devices are available to them. You can also contact the Iowa DOT for any general information at 712-388-6893.

Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.